


who takes your breath away

by PersephoneHemingway



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, Love Confessions, One Shot, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Rokudaime Hatake Kakashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 17:52:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18078161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PersephoneHemingway/pseuds/PersephoneHemingway
Summary: It was well-known that Sakura Haruno, hero of the fourth great ninja war and legendary medic, had Hanahaki Disease.Unrequited love is never fun, especially when it fills your lungs with flowers until you choke.But who says her love is unrequited?





	who takes your breath away

**Author's Note:**

> Cheers, friends.  
> First fanfic - go easy on me?
> 
> (I don't own Kishimoto's characters or universe, yada yada. Let my fanwork be a fanwork).

It was well-known that Sakura Haruno, hero of the fourth great ninja war and legendary medic, had Hanahaki Disease. Everyone had always suspected she'd catch it—her childhood infatuation with a certain Uchiha consistently ended in rejection and heartbreak.

She'd even been the one to create the treatment technique for the maintenance of long-term Hanahaki disease—twice-a-month sessions using chakra to agitate the lungs, dislodge the flowers, and move them up the throat so they could be coughed up safely. An option far better than death or losing the ability to love altogether if the unrequited love stayed unrequited.  
Hanahaki suited her, really—delicate, but bloody (and she always was a romantic).

&

Naruto crashed into the rokudaime hokage's office eager to leave for his mission with Sakura. He waved to Shikamaru and Kakashi seated behind the desk then rapidly turned his head back and forth to scan the rest of the room.

"Ino? Why're you here? Where's Sakura-chan dattebayo?"

"Her Hanahaki's acting up again, asked me to sub in."

"Oh! Hey, do you know if she coughs them yellow or white-ttebayo? Does she get to make a wish on 'em?"

"What're you talking about, knucklehead?"

"The dandelions-ttebayo! Sasuke's favorite!"

"Wait dandelions? But... she doesn't cough up dandelions... she coughs up jasmine..."

"Eh!? But who else could it be...?" "I don't..." The voices faded from Kakashi's mind as his face blanked out and ran through his memories, suddenly realizing exactly who Sakura’s unrequited love was. He was stunned.

Shikamaru waved his clipboard in front of Kakashi's face. "Hokage-sama? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost.."

"No, yes.. well, I've seen several, but no, it's not the time..." He finished off at a mumble and promptly exited through the window.

"Wait– Hokage-sama! You have a meeti- oh, damn." Shikamaru slumped down into his chair.

&

Kakashi walked up to Sakura's apartment's kitchen window—she always left it open when she was home. He watched as she drew her chakra-coated hands around her ribs and chest and up to her throat as she spat sticky clumps of little white flowers splattered with red into the sink. The air smelled like blood and jasmine.

"You'd really rather do all that than tell them?"

"Wha- what!?" Sakura turned around sputtering in shock as she found Kakashi leaning on the window frame with his hands in his pockets. He put on his contemplative face and went on, ignoring her surprise. 

"You know, I learned something interesting today."

She was wary. She wiped some blood and saliva from her chin but kept a straight face.

"Naruto told me that Sasuke likes dandelions, did you know that? He said they might even be Sasuke's _favorite_."

Sakura stood still.

"But that's not the flower that's killing you, is it?" His eyes locked on to hers. She gripped tightly to the edge of the sink. He relaxed his gaze.

 "So we all thought, _huh_. Not Sasuke, eh? Then who?" He shrugged for effect. "I asked myself, 'who else does Sakura love _so much_ she could choke? Whose feelings are suffocating her? Who would she die for?"

She took a sharp inhale.

"Honestly, Naruto was the first one to come to mind, but that clearly didn't add up. And then it hit me:"

She swallowed.

"Huh, _I like jasmine_."

She held her breath, and she looked terrified.

"And then I remembered how you'd find excuses to come up and see me just to leave cups of jasmine tea on my desk. How you'd come over and heal me up at my apartment without a word because you know I hate hospitals. How your cheeks would match your hair when I'd ruffle your hair or call you my favorite.

How I was late and you were furious until you found me that first time at the memorial stone. You stood next to me and held my hand, forgetting the mission. How in the times after, you'd introduced yourself to Obito and Rin and told them how proud they should be of their old teammate."

She let out a broken exhale, shoulders still tensed. "K- 'kashi-sensei..."

 Kakashi tapped his finger on his chin.

"But you've always been expressive, your emotions written on your face. You've always been selfless. You take care of your friends; you know just what we need and when we need it." A pause.

"You're not known as the gift-giving-wizard for nothing." A quick smirk.

Sakura let out a breathy chuckle. Her eyes felt heavy. By now, she looked almost _awed_. The two took a few beats to stare at each other. Kakashi broke the silence.

"I wonder why I wasn't able to see underneath the underneath."

Graceful as ever, he swung through the window and over the counter into the kitchen. He took cautious steps toward Sakura as if not to spook her into running off. He bowed his head down to meet her at eye level, almost shy. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Maybe I just never thought I'd ever get so lucky..."

She inhaled with a shiver.

He was _so close_.

And then he wasn't.

He stood two steps back scratching the back of his head looking like an apology.

"Maa, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning with my usual cup of tea?" 

Her jaw dropped and her eyes shot open wide. Before she had a chance to unfreeze and flood with rage, he dropped his arm and sent her his signature eye crinkle smile before he disappeared. She slid boneless against the cabinets to the kitchen floor and realized something:

She no longer felt the need to cough.

&

Sakura knocked twice on the window of the hokage tower holding a large brown paper bag and a travel mug. When Kakashi swiveled around in his chair, Sakura held up her offerings with a small smile. His eyes brightened as he leaned over to pop the window open.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, what brings you to my office this lovely morning?"

"Oh, you know," she ducked through the window, "lost on the path of life, saved a cat, coincidentally ended up here, the usual." She shoved the travel mug into Kakashi's hands before she settled herself cross-legged on his desk with no concern for his paperwork. She started unpacking the brown paper bag.

"Ah. and what do we have here today?

"Broiled saury, tiny sandwiches, and dango!"

He nodded and popped the top to the travel mug. "No drink for you?" He sipped at it.

"We're sharing, silly. There's enough tea for two." She snatched the mug back, took a gulp, and set it down.

"Sakura! So scandalous! What would the hokage say?"

"Eh, I don't think he'd mind much." She smirked and handed Kakashi the container of saury then unwrapped a sandwich for herself.

His eyebrow shot up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. He's a bit of a softie under it all." His eyes crinkled up. She took a few bites then reached for another sandwich. The next time she looked up, Kakashi was eating... and Sakura saw. His mask was down. He was eating and his mask was down. _He was beautiful._

"Maa, Sakura-chan quit staring you're making me blush."

"I'm mak- you? _blush!?_ "

"Full sentences, Sakura-chan."

Outrage. "K- Kakashi!" She back-handed his upper arm and her sandwich flew in all directions. There was a bit of mayo splashed on the side of Kakashi's face.

He blinked at her in a deadpan.

"Oh, Ka-" She slapped her hand to her mouth and belly laughed into it. "I'm sorry, Kakashi, so- pfft-! Sorry, 'kashi!"

He unwrapped a tiny sandwich and shuriken-threw it at Sakura's strength-of-a-hundred seal. She ducked and it hit the floor sliding to a stop next to a filing cabinet.

She was still laughing. "I guess I deserved that."

He made a show of pouting until Sakura cleaned his face with a napkin. They smiled into each other's eyes like lovesick puppies. (Good thing Gai wasn't around to announce the springtime of their budding youth).

"So uh, how's your Hanahaki clearing up?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to buy me more flowers, the ones you sent before stopped trying to kill me."

"Rats, another assassination attempt foiled by Konoha's cherry bomb."

"And how will I be compensated for that S-rank, Hokage-sama?"

"Hmm, close your eyes and find out?"

Her snark quickly dissolved into hopeful panic. She would've sworn she blushed to her toes.

A moment after she shut her eyes, something sweet and sticky pressed up against her lips. She snorted and opened her mouth for the dango, nipping at Kakashi's fingers.

"Tease!" She chewed, eyes still closed.

"Want another?"

"Yes please!" She parted her lips in waiting, and that's when Kakashi took her face in his hands and kissed her breath away.

She gasped into his mouth and pulled him closer by his hair. Between kisses, Kakashi leaned his forehead against Sakura's.

"Wanna know a secret?"

She looked dozy and went in for another kiss. "Mm?"

"I think I have a new favorite flower."

She paused and pulled back to look at him, and then she smiled like the sun.


End file.
